Someone Precious
by Neko-Chan in Wonderland
Summary: [Oneshot] Traveling with an eighteenyearold Rin isn't exactly a walk in the park for this Sesshomaru. Especially with all these weird feelings plaguing him... Attraction? No way. A SessRin fic about coming to grips with the truth.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Inuyasha.

**A/N:** Well, I read one of the recent chapters of Inuyasha, and I was suddenly inspired to write this little number. Enjoy!

xXx

"Sesshomaru-sama! Are you coming or not? We're going to go slay that demon, aren't we?" Eighteen-year-old Rin stood a ways down the path from Sesshomaru, hands on her hips, tapping her foot with a playful mock of impatience.

Sesshomaru sighed slightly and wondered how the sweet little Rin could have turned into the brutal demon slayer that she was now. Her short orange kimono barely reached her mid-thighs and black leggings covered her slim legs. Appropriate armor was strapped to her body and a sword hung loosely at her waist. However, he never did feel it appropriate for a woman to be wearing such little clothing.

Sesshomaru quickened his pace ever so slightly after making sure the scrambling Jaken was still in sight.

Rin grinned at the progress of his movement and continued walking as soon as he had caught up.

Rumors were running around the country that the lord of the western lands had fallen for a human. When faced with such rumors, Sesshomaru would scoff with a haughty look and claim "I am not so weak as to fall prey to something like 'love'… especially not with a human."

But the fierce yet kind woman who continuously followed him around only fueled such talk. The fact that he LET her hang around didn't help either.

Since her second brush with death way back at Sesshomaru's mother's castle, Rin had decided that being a vulnerable little girl and only causing trouble for Sesshomaru was not the way to live. So she had appeared one day when she was fourteen at the house of Sango and Miroku and gotten on her hands and knees to beg Sango to teach her the way of a demon slayer and swordswoman. Sango, of course, agreed, that between taking care of her and Miroku's five-year-old daughter, Ayano, and killing off wayward demons, she would teach her what she desired to learn.

So Rin had disappeared from Sesshomaru's life for two years, off living and training with Sango, who was surprised to find little Rin a natural at handling the sword. That period of time was troubling for Sesshomaru (although he would rather claim his brotherly love for Inuyasha than admit it), because the girl had left without leaving anything more than a simple not that said: "I have gone to become strong. I will return once I am no longer a burden." And so, Sesshomaru had lived in unease for those two years, taking a second glance at any longhaired teenage girl he happened to come by, only to be disappointed.

Then one day he was quite surprised when a sixteen-year-old Rin appeared at his castle with a sword half her size and a fierce look in her eyes. He almost didn't realize it was she, and might have clawed her out if she hadn't instantly grinned and exclaimed, "I'm back, Sesshomaru-sama!"

Jaken went into cardiac arrest for a while upon taking in the sight.

But life had continued as always (well, almost) with the three of them going out to slay any demons who may seem like a threat to Sesshomaru's growing lands, only this time Rin went in and chopped a few limbs off the demon before he finished it off. Sometimes he left weaker demons entirely to her, not feeling the need to bother with such trivial things when Rin could cut them down with one powerful strike.

At times he felt something that may be close to guilt for using her as such, but one reassuring smile from her could clear his thoughts in a moment. When she was younger, Sesshomaru had always felt a rather fatherly attachment to Rin, but as the years grew on and she became older and more, well… developed… Sesshomaru felt a slight twinge of attraction towards her. Especially when he watched her wield her sword with a dancer's grace on the battlefield, a look of strength and determination burning in her eyes. But this feeling wasn't enough for this Sesshomaru to seriously consider. The thought of falling in love with Rin almost made him want to laugh at the impossibility of it all. Now that would be a sight.

But between their talks by the campfire, and Rin's unnecessary tending of his wounds, and even the way she threw back her head and laughed whenever he made a sarcastic comment, not even intending to be funny—his laughter was slowly fading. Because as the journeys together continued, he found himself becoming less and less comfortable with her usual presence.

For example, there was the fact that they bathed together. Not that he found it necessary to bathe, but she had insisted that just because he was a dog demon, didn't mean he had to smell like one. But at first it was quite all right with him if she was a little ways down the stream, splashing about. It was when she wrapped nothing but a thin strip of cloth around her body, and insisted that she properly scrub his hair, that he got nervous. He would pretend not to be slightly uncomfortable as her barely covered breasts pressed against his back, and he would act as if her delicate fingers rubbing his ears weren't sending a pleasurable tingle down his spine.

Then there were the times when _she_ got injured, and he had to dress her wounds while she was unconscious, and sometimes wash off blood that had caked over her smooth skin. It didn't help that demons always seemed to severely injure her in the most awkward places. He would have to shove any impure thoughts from his mind as he wrapped bandages around her perfect curves, and hope that Jaken didn't notice his hands lingering a moment before they drew back.

Yes, Sesshomaru was now having some problems. Traveling with a girl is no big deal. Traveling with a woman is a whole other situation.

Especially when she went into "heat", as he called it. As you might know about most dogs, a female in heat was virtually irresistible. The same went for dog demons, and traveling with Rin at that time was increasingly difficult for Sesshomaru. The animalistic urge to grab her and do impure things to her took much effort to suppress, and he often made up excuses to separate himself from her scent, thick with the scent of woman. Of course, Rin was too busy getting overly pissed or depressed, often beating up Jaken, and having to fight demons while dealing with cramps to notice.

But he still didn't think he was remotely attracted to her. He concluded that it was only instinct, and being in love with her was something way off base.

But that night was the night when a lot of things would change. I mean this in a big way.

They had just dealt with a particularly stubborn demon that had swiped a long gash across Rin's body. The thick line of blood that soaked her clothing stretched from her right shoulder, down between her breasts, and ended at her left hip. Of course, Sesshomaru had gone berserk after that and transformed fully to take down the demon with one powerful strike of his claws. He was now carrying a barely conscious Rin (yes, he had replaced his arm during a previous instance) back to a sheltered cave where he could clean and wrap her wound. He was dreading the process, due to the awkward positioning of the cut. Jaken was trailing behind them, yelling about Rin being a burdening brat who only caused trouble for Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru made a point to "accidentally" kick him later. Rin moaned a soft "I'm sorry, Sesshomaru-sama" every few minutes before Sesshomaru was forced to tighten his grip on her and give her a reassuring "It's okay". He could feel the guilt in her voice whenever she spoke.

Finally they reached the cave and Sesshomaru began carefully opening the straps of her damaged armor and laying them aside (Jaken was forced to wait outside, of course). He got to her kimono and took a silent breath before reaching around her to untie the sash. It was doubly awkward now, since she was conscious, even though it was just barely.

He felt a weak hand grasp his wrist, as he was about to pull of the torn kimono to reveal her bare skin. "Sesshomaru-sama…" A dazed voice whispered. "I'm sorry… for always being such a burden." He looked up at her face to see tears trickling from the corners of her eyes. "I'm nothing but trouble for you. I thought if I learned to fight and I could help you slay demons, I would be less of a burden, but I keep getting injured and you're the one who has to take care of me. I'm sorry… I know you don't want me around you like this, but you're too kind to make me go away. I'm just… so sorry! After this… I'll go away for good if you want. I'll find some village where I can stay, maybe get married and settle down like normal women should. I should just… leave you alone…" She cried, raising her left arm (her right side was too in pain to move) to soak the tears that were flowing from her eyes.

Sesshomaru, for a moment, didn't know how to handle such a situation. Rin was hardly a person to get so emotional (unless of course the demon of PMS had caught up to her), and he was a little slow to react. But a sudden twitch of annoyance prickled him when she mentioned leaving him and getting married to some unknown mortal. He gently removed her arm from her face, looking directly into her eyes with a serious expression. He could tell by the look in her eyes that this sudden burst of emotion came with the intense pain a mortal like her was feeling with such a wound. His look did not falter, though. "And do you really think that would make me happy?" he asked seriously. "As much as you may think it so, I am not a kind demon. If I really didn't want you around, I would have killed you by now. You are not a burden, Rin." He concluded.

"Then why… why would you let me follow you around like this?" Rin asked, confused.

"Hmm. I wonder why myself." Sesshomaru said evasively, turning his gaze away from her to the blood soaked kimono.

"Sesshomaru-sama…" she reached up and moved his face so that he looked into her pleading eyes once more. "Tell me… what am I to you?" Rin was a little hesitant to ask this, because she was slightly afraid of the answer. The truth of the matter was that she had been in love with Sesshomaru since the moment she had laid eyes on him in the forest so many years ago. But she had known from the start that the chance of him ever returning his feelings was almost none. _But even so…_

But the reaction she got was not what she, or even Sesshomaru, had planned on. But something in those eyes of hers reminded him of the words his father had left him with.

"_Have you someone… to protect?"_

_Yes…_Sesshomaru thought, as an unknown force possessed him to lean down and kiss her softly for a long time. As he broke off, he said quietly. "You are someone… very precious to me."

Rin could feel her eyes once again brimming over with tears, but the only reaction she could give was pulling him back down onto her lips again. This time, having gained her permission, Sesshomaru return her kiss with more aggression, pushing his tongue into her waiting mouth. They kissed with intense fervor for another moment before Rin flinched noticeably in pain and Sesshomaru remembered something he had forgotten.

He pulled back and resumed his previous task of dressing her wound. He was about to pull her kimono off when she placed a hand over his. He looked up to find her blushing brightly. "Y-you can't…" She stammered faintly. "You'll see… I'll do it myself!"

"You know I've seen everything before… all your wounds in awkward places haven't been binding themselves all this time, you know." Sesshomaru said bluntly.

Rin only blushed deeper at this, and closed her eyes in embarrassment. "Oh, god!"

"Relax." Sesshomaru whispered before placing a kiss on her mouth before trailing them down her cheek and neck. Rin moaned in response, clearly enjoying the attention. He was just sucking delicately on her collarbone when he stopped abruptly. Rin opened her eyes to see what was wrong and she realized that he had expertly removed her kimono while he distracted her with his kisses and was now examining the cut carefully. Finally, she sighed in defeat and let her consciousness slip.

The next morning seemed especially bright when Rin woke up. She attempted to sit up, but a shot of pain coursed through her and she abruptly fell back onto the softness below her. Wait, softness? She looked up to find herself lying with her head in Sesshomaru's lap, the dog demon looking down at her with soft eyes. "I see you're awake." He observed. He leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Feeling any better?" His face was serious and emotionless, as if nothing had happened.

Rin smiled as the events of the night before reached her. _Someone… precious…_ "Yes, much better." Sesshomaru gently stroked her hair in response.

Jaken picked that exact moment to walk in and nearly had a brain aneurysm. "Y-You didn't…!"

Sesshomaru picked up a rock and threw it at him. "Of course not fool."

"B-But…!"

Sesshomaru gave an emotionless stare. "She's injured, Jaken."

Jaken stared at them for a long time.

"What?" Sesshomaru asked, irritation growing.

Jaken recovered and stammered. "Nothing… it's just that… you two just remind me a lot of the deceased Lord and Izayoi at the moment, that time I happened to come across them so many years ago."

Sesshomaru and Rin looked at Jaken, and then at each other. A long silence passed…

…Followed by Sesshomaru throwing another rock at Jaken.

xXx

The end! Yay! I am proud of this one! Review please!


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